Tushita
Tuṣita (Sanskrit and Pāli) or Tushita is one of the six deva-worlds of the Buddhist Desire realm (Kāmadhātu), located between the Yāma heaven and the Template:Transliteration heaven. Like the other heavens, Tuṣita is said to be reachable through meditation. It is the heaven where the Bodhisattva Śvetaketu ("White Banner") resided before being reborn on Earth as Gautama Buddha, the historical fourth Buddha. It is, likewise, the heaven where the Bodhisattva Nātha ("Protector") currently resides, who will be reborn as the future fifth Buddha Maitreya.
Most Buddhist scriptures state that Queen Mayadevi died seven days after giving birth at Lumbini to her son Prince Siddhartha, who became Gautama Buddha or the Buddha, and that she was reborn in the Tushita Heaven. Then seven years after the Buddha's enlightenment, Mayadevi came down to visit Tavatimsa Heaven, where the Buddha specifically preached the Abhidharma to her,[1] and to the other gods in the realm.
In Hinduism, the Tushitas are referred to as one of the nine gana deities: adityas, visvedevas, vasus, tushitas, abhasvaras, anilas, maharajikas, sadhyas, and the rudras.[2][3]
Descriptions
Like all heaven realms in Buddhism, the Template:Transliteration Heaven is the residence of divine beings or devas. According to the Visakhuposatha Sutta of the Pali Canon,[4] time runs much differently than on Earth:
Buddhist View
In Mahayana Buddhist thought, the Template:Transliteration Heaven is where all Bodhisattvas destined to reach full enlightenment in their next life dwell for a time. One such reference can be found in the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life, a Mahayana text:
The Template:Transliteration heaven is therefore closely associated with Maitreya, and many Mahayana Buddhists vow to be reborn there so that they can hear the teachings of the Bodhisattva and ultimately be reborn with him when he becomes a Buddha. Other Bodhisattvas dwell in this heaven realm from time to time. Template:Transliteration is part of the same world-system as Earth, and so is relatively close, whereas the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha is treated as a separate world-system entirely.
References
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- ↑ Visakhuposatha Sutta (AN 8.43)